


Faith

by ourdreamsrealized



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Love, Love at First Sight, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 09:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18363566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourdreamsrealized/pseuds/ourdreamsrealized
Summary: Placing trust in him was idiotic, but you did it anyway, knowing, somehow, he would keep his promise. (Originally: “You were just another obstacle in his path to victory, or so he thought…”)





	Faith

**Author's Note:**

> Posting stuff from my Tumblr. Enjoy!

“There she is!”

Those three words set your heart zooming, and your legs were following its beat, bringing you farther and farther away from the source, but you weren’t fast enough. Not long behind you, you heard the crunching of foliage and the animated laughs of triumph as the Careers gained on you.

You couldn’t outrun them. 

The fact felt like it had dropped from your mind, a falling rock in the pit of your stomach, but it did not stop you. Instead, you thought as you ran, buying yourself a little more time before you had to do something to save yourself.

_The trees…_

You stopped, nearly tripping over your momentum; you were quick to recover, finding yourself in front of a sturdy tree trunk. You selected a low, lofty branch and began to climb, thanking all the days your father had made you climb for bird eggs, for breakfast.

“That won’t keep you safe!” 

You looked down, and to your absolute horror, one of the careers—a blond, muscular one—was climbing up after you. 

You went faster, trying to avoid the arrows being shot at you by one of the female tributes. Her aim was atrocious, which worked to your advantage, but if she kept trying, she would eventually succeed.

“I can’t go any farther.”

The male Career had given up, finding himself too heavy to trust the branches you could afford to. He returned to the ground, turning to look at the girl with the bow.

“Don’t waste your arrows, Glimmer.”

“She’ll have to come down eventually,” the other male Career pointed out. “She’ll need food.”

“And when that happens…” your pursuer grinned, gazing up at you with the expression of a madman, “we’ll be waiting for her. You hear that, Cutie? Once you come down, you’re dead!”

You flinched in fear but settled against the bark of your new shelter, opening your canteen to drink some of the water you had managed to get from the river before the Careers had spotted you. As you drank, you watched the tributes below you make themselves comfortable. 

“Do you really think she’s cute, Cato?”

The blond one—the one that had scaled the oak after you—snickered at the question from Glimmer, “How is that any of your damn business?”

She went silent at the retort, obviously not thrilled with his disinterest in her. 

“I wouldn’t blame him,” the other boy in their group spoke up. “She’s pretty attractive for a girl from a poorer district.”

“That’s enough of this talk, now,” another girl career hissed. “We should gather some firewood and food.”

“I’ll watch her,” Cato volunteered, walking towards the base of your tree.

“No,” Glimmer stopped him, pressing her hand against his chest. “I’ll watch her. Your strength would be put to good use collecting logs for a fire.”

“She’s right, you know,” the unnamed male agreed.

Cato scowled, but did not argue with them as he headed back out to the forest. When everyone was gone, save Glimmer, she looked up at you and sneered, “You’re a hideous bitch, and I cannot wait for you to get down. I’ll kill you myself.”

You simply rolled your eyes at her jealousy before crossing your arms over your chest and deciding to ignore her.

* * *

It was midnight, and the Careers had been sound asleep for at least thirty minutes, now, including Cato, who was tasked with keeping watch. It was as good a time as ever to make your escape, so slowly, without making a single noise, you made your way down the branches of the tree.

Once on the ground, you began to run, knowing there was no way to keep your footsteps silent, even if you tip-toed away from the camp. Your destination was the river, and when you finally reached it, you felt safe again. 

That is, until you heard him speak.

“Did you  _really_  think I was asleep?”

You gasped, spinning around at the water’s edge to find yourself looking into eyes of blue fire, and they were alight with something fierce, something that shook you to your very core.

“I-I…”

Cato snorted at your inability to speak as he got closer to you, “So…what’s your name, Cutie? I’m sure you know mine…”

“W-why would you want to know my name?” you stuttered, closing your eyes briefly in an attempt to calm yourself. “Aren’t you going to kill me?”

“Kill you?” he brought his hand up to your face, and you could feel yourself visibly shaking. However, his touch was warm and gentle against the skin of your cheek. “Why would I kill something that has captivated me since the beginning of this mess?”

You eyelids shot open at that inquiry, shocked that it had even been asked. You were even more surprised when you saw his lips, curved up in a genuine, adoring smile. Of course, there was still an underlying tone of danger; he was a Career, trained to fight.

“I-I don’t understand…”

A truer statement had never been said.

“Look, I’m going to buy you some time,” his finger traced your jaw, sending delicious shivers in ripples through your body, “and I want you to get far away from here. Once I handle the rest of those idiots, I’ll find you.”

“Why are you doing this? Why me?” you asked, confused by everything that was unfolding.

“Let’s just say, I know what it is like to be the underdog,” he whispered, his minty breath cooling down the blush on your face, “so when I see one…”

You inhaled sharply when you felt his lips at the corner of your mouth, but it wasn’t out of fright. You wanted everything he said to be true, and you wanted, so desperately, to trust him. It would justify everything, including you giving into your sudden desire for him.

“I like to protect it.”

He kissed you, and you were in awe by how innocent it was. He did not pressure you for more, and he was like a gentleman with the way he went about it, his hand resting respectfully at the small of your back while the other stroked your cheek. 

When you parted, he gave you a crooked grin that made you into a puddle of pink, “Now, stay safe, and I’ll find you as soon as I can. Okay?”

You bit your bottom lip, nodding like a naive, young girl because that was what you were. 

How could you rest your hope in him, a murderer who would stop at nothing to win? Something in you said to, and while it did not make any sense to you, you listened to him.

And before he could turn away and disappear, you let him know he had your faith.

“Y/N.”

“What?” he paused in taking his leave. 

“Y/N. That’s my name.”


End file.
